"Research Whaling" as "War on Terrorism"（Part 2）

つーことで、今日は昨日の予告通り、今シーズン分南極海「調査捕鯨」に関する話。

先29日のナベツネ機関紙（YOMIURI ONLINE）が、『鯨研支援のため２０億円を３次補正予算に計上する』とか『乗組員の安全対策を強化した』なんてことを述べていたらしい。
ただし、肝心の記事は、YOMIURI ONLINE に掲載されてないのだが・・・。
・Japan to resume whaling shortly: Yomiuri reports（2011年9月30日 abc.net.au）

『PM』という番組のメインパーソナリティの Mark COLVIN氏は、日本政府が南極海「調査捕鯨」を続行する方針を打ち出したことに驚きを隠さなかった。
この辺は、abc.net.au の記者（東京在住？）こと Mark WILLACY 氏とのやりとりでも伺えたが・・・。
以下、2011年9月30日分 abc.net.au『Japan to resume whaling shortly～』から、序盤部分を（略

---- 以下引用 ----
（中略）
COLVIN：Mark, Japan's gone through a pretty awful year financially, economically, it seems like a strange time to spend a lot of money on whaling?

MARK WILLACY: That's right.
We've had the triple disasters of the earthquake, the tsunami, then the nuclear meltdowns and that has added some very big bottom lines to Japan's deficit and its public debt.

So we've got a situation where, across the board, the Japanese government is trying to cut programs but now we're hearing from the Yomiuri Shimbun, the biggest newspaper, the biggest selling newspaper, in Japan, that the program will continue, that it will go ahead.
And basically, as you alluded to in the introduction, this is about national pride.

The Japanese do not want to give in to Sea Shepherd, they don't want to bow to the threats and the obstruction they've seen on the high seas, they're going to keep face and they're going to ensure that whaling will survive.
（以下略）
---- 引用以上 ----

ナベツネ機関紙が日本で最大発行部数を誇っていた新聞、ってのは過去の話という説もあるが・・・。

COLVIN 氏や WILLACY 氏にしてみたら、震災の復興もままならない状態で「調査捕鯨」を優先させるのは不可解に思えるんだろうな。
それこそ、「調査捕鯨」を継続する目的が「日本国のプライドを賭けたもの」と映るくらいに・・・。
あ、「日本人は Sea Shepherd に屈したくない」って書いてあるけど、南極海「調査捕鯨」についてはさっさと撤退するべきだと思う人達も結構いるかと。
もっとも、そうした人は「日本人」のイメージに当てはまらないんだろうけど（苦笑）


話を COLVIN 氏と WILLACY 氏との対話に戻す。
この後、COLVIN 氏は、「調査捕鯨」の費用と「調査捕鯨」団の安全対策に話を持っていった。
そこで、WILLACY 氏は意味深な発言を・・・。
以下、2011年9月30日分　abc.net.au『Japan to resume whaling shortly～』から、中盤部分を（略

---- 以下引用 ----
（中略）
MARK COLVIN: How much is it going to cost to send the whaling fleet out?

MARK WILLACY: That's a very good question.
It's often treated as a bit of a state secret.
We've been told all sorts of figures but we believe roughly around $40 million[日本円で約29億円強] a year.
And what we're hearing out of the Yomiuri newspaper today is that they're going to beef up safety measures for the whaling crews, and to do that they're going to inject 2 billion yen, or about $AU27 million into the whaling program.

What we also know is that the Japanese coastguard, though, has turned down a request to protect the whaling fleet. Apparently it doesn't think it can do that adequately and with enough authority in international waters.
But, you know, if this report is right, we are going to see yet again more clashes this year in the Antarctic between Sea Shepherd and the Japanese whalers.

MARK COLVIN: Well the coastguard probably only has a jurisdiction within Japanese waters, what about the Japanese navy itself?

MARK WILLACY: There has been absolutely no mention of that all.
Obviously Japan has a passivist constitution which restricts what its military does and where it goes and the activities it can engage in, so no mention at all about the navy.
As I said, the coastguard was requested to go down and shadow the whaling fleet.
It's running a mile from that; it's saying no we can't do it with any great effect, so it will not happen.
（以下略）
---- 引用以上 ----

少し前に、「鯨類捕獲調査に関する検討委員会」は、海上保安庁の船を「調査捕鯨」に同行させる際のリスクについて触れていた。
この辺は以下参照（手抜き）
・"Research Whaling" as "War on Terrorism"（2011年6月29日 flagburner's blog(仮)）

今回の判断が、「派遣した場合の国際世論の反応を考慮しつつ、国家戦略として慎重な検討」をして国内法の問題を解消（正確には運用面での問題かと）した上での結果としても、海上保安庁の船が同行するのは（海上保安庁の船が武装してる以上）「武力行使」と受け取られかねない。
しかも、Sea Shepherd の船に海上保安庁自ら「攻撃」を仕掛けるのは無理があるし。
いくら日本政府が Sea Shepherd の総帥こと Paul WATSON 船長を国際指名手配してるからって、公海上で Sea Shepherd の船に乗り込んで拘束ってのは国外から理解が得られるとは思えないし・・・。
日本政府が、この辺りの問題点を認識してるかどうか怪しいとしか。

というか、「テロとの戦いなんだから～」というノリで判断してたら笑えないけど。


・・・まだ COLVIN 氏と WILLACY 氏の話は終わらない。
この後、WILLACY 氏は例の会議に出席していた全国消費者団体連絡会事務局長こと 阿南 久（Hisa ANAN）氏と「調査捕鯨」に関して話をしたことを持ち出した。
その上で、「調査捕鯨」について日本国内で議論が行われてないことを指摘していた。
以下、2011年9月30日分 　abc.net.au『Japan to resume whaling shortly～』から、最後の〆を（略

---- 以下引用 ----
（中略）
MARK COLVIN: Well they're spending millions on it, do they get much back?

MARK WILLACY: Look, according to some of the people who were involved in a review of the whaling program this year, no they don't.

I spoke a couple of months ago to one of the panel members who was reviewing this process her name was Hisa Anan. And she said, look, it's time to scrap this so-called scientific whaling program for a number of reasons.
One, if we want to keep researching whales there are non-lethal ways of doing it, we don't have to kill them.

She also pointed out to me that there are growing stockpiles of whale meat, tonnes and tonnes of it sitting unwanted in industrial freezers around the country.
No-one's eating it.
Whale restaurants are popular with a certain demographic, generally older Japanese, but young people they won't touch it with a barge pole.

MARK COLVIN: Well if this is about saving face or national pride - whatever you want to call it - is it a popular move do you think?

MARK WILLACY: Look I think most Japanese don't engage in this debate at all.
But one thing, given the disasters that have befallen Japan this year, with the tsunami, the nuclear meltdown, and the cost that is now being thrust upon the Japanese public, there could very well be a section of the population who thinks this is just over the top.

This is a program Japan doesn't need in a time of financial crisis when there are people without homes, there are communities that have been totally wiped out.
That money, that whaling money could possibly be better spent on those sorts of programs.

That is probably what the Japanese government is going to now face, that sort of opposition to whaling.

MARK COLVIN: Thank you very much Mark.
---- 引用以上 ----

日本政府的には、「調査捕鯨」は「テロとの戦い（War on Terrorism）」という意味で聖域ってことだろうか？
あるいは、「（今年3月の震災からの）復興のために必要」というスタンスなんだろうか？
いずれにしても、震災からの復興がままならない中「調査捕鯨」を続行させる日本政府の意図が不可解に見えるのは止むを得ないか。
まぁ、こんなことを書くと「○○人に理解できるわけない」なんて声が出てくるだろうけど・・・。


なお、この件について、WATSON 船長は意味深なコメントを・・・。
・Hoka Hey! All Systems Go For Sea Shepherd’s Operation Divine Wind（2011年9月30日 Sea Shepherd）

以下、2011年9月30日分 Sea Shepherd『Hoka Hey!～』から一部を（略

---- 以下引用 ----
（中略）
“It is an insult to all the anti-whaling nations that so generously contributed to the relief of the tsunami and earthquake victims,” said Captain Paul Watson.
“They have accepted foreign aid to help the victims of that tragedy, and are now shifting funds to perpetuate this illegal and obscene massacre of defenseless whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. It now seems they are simply obsessed with killing whales not for need, and not for profit, but because they believe they have the right to do what they wish and kill whatever they wish in an established international whale sanctuary, just for the sake of defending their misplaced “honor.” It’s a disgrace and a smack in the face to everyone who stepped forward to help in their time of need.”
（以下略）
---- 引用以上 ----

なんつーか。
「調査捕鯨」が、日本政府の（くだらない）プライドを賭けた「テロとの戦い」という意味合いを持ってる気がするのは俺だけか？


2011年10月4日追記：
ナベツネ機関紙の記事の日付が間違ってたので修正・・・。